German universities of Applied Sciences face declining student numbers and a growing shortage of skilled professionals in technical fields, prompting institutions in Bavaria to increasingly recruit international students, many of them from India. While this strategy stabilizes enrolment and supports national goals for securing a future workforce, it also introduces substantial challenges for teaching staff, administration, and students alike. Many incoming students bring competency profiles shaped by non-European higher-education systems, often marked by a strong emphasis on reproductive learning and limited experience with independent research, critical reflection, and scientific writing. High expectations of German master’s programs, combined with linguistic and cultural barriers, contribute to lower retention rates among international students and create additional burdens on teaching staff.

Drawing on experiences from four international master’s programs at Ansbach University of Applied Sciences, the paper analyses typical difficulties and evaluates measures designed to improve integration, academic success, and study conditions. Programs composed almost exclusively of Indian students tend to reproduce culturally homogeneous learning environments, which limit intercultural exchange, hinder discursive teaching formats, and reinforce established learning habits. In contrast, heterogeneously composed cohorts show better interaction, stronger language development, and improved academic performance. To counteract homogeneity, targeted interventions such as international poster sessions, mixed laboratory groups, and joint courses between German- and English-taught programs were introduced with positive but context-dependent outcomes.

Major challenges arise in the areas of scientific practice, rule compliance, and the unreflected use of AI tools, often rooted in a lack of prior exposure to principles of good scientific practice. The university responded with measures such as training units on academic integrity, adapted assessment formats emphasizing transfer performance, and workshops on literature research and academic writing. Additional structural factors such as particularly limited access to affordable local housing, negatively affect class attendance. Attempts to mitigate this included schedule adaptations to public transport and the introduction of block courses with mandatory practical components.

The paper concludes that successful internationalization requires more than English-language programs. It demands comprehensive support structures, including language training, intercultural competence development for staff, and institutional services tailored to international students’ needs. Given the intensive advising workload, smaller learning groups and recognition of international teaching efforts in workload models are essential. Only through sustained institutional commitment, adequate resources, and openness on all sides can internationalization efforts translate into improved learning outcomes and long-term integration.

Mit der Einführung des Promotionsrechts an bayerischen Hochschulen für angewandte Wissenschaften widmen sich diese fortan auch der Ausbildung von Promovierenden. Im Gegensatz zu Universitäten ist jedoch eine hochwertige didaktische Qualifikation der Promovierenden bayerischer Hochschulen gegenwärtig noch nicht etabliert. Um diesem Bedarf gerecht zu werden, wurde an der Hochschule Ansbach ein Modul zu digital-analoger Hochschullehre namens »Teaching Skills« für Promovierende entwickelt und im Wintersemester 2023/24 erprobt und evaluiert. In diesem Beitrag wird zunächst der interaktive didaktische Ansatz des Lehrkonzepts erörtert und aufgezeigt, wie die einzelnen Lehreinheiten konzeptioniert wurden. Anschließend folgt ein Einblick in die konkrete Implementierung des Moduls an der Hochschule Ansbach. Abschließend erwachsen aus Begleitevaluation, den Beobachtungen des Projektteams, sowie den Lessons Learned Empfehlungen für die erfolgreiche Implementierung des Konzepts an weiteren Hochschulen.

This study provides a comprehensive review of the intellectual structure and current dynamics of onboarding and socialization research. Using the Web of Science (WoS) database, we found 452 research articles that met the inclusion criteria. Biblioshiny R-package and VOSviewer were used for the bibliometric analysis. We lay out the most prolific authors, journals, institutions and articles in this rapidly growing field. We find that current research is scattered all over different topics and disciplines. We identify five research fronts that authors have pursued in the last 5 years. Researchers have focused on: psychological contracts; the role of networks and relationship building; the changing work contexts in which organizational socialization takes place; the effects of newcomer proactivity and interactions with supervisors; onboarding in distinct areas like software engineering. Promising research avenues in this field can be distinguished in: different groups of newcomers; examining interactive effects between newcomers and socialization agents; and analyzing the evolving area of digital and virtual onboarding and organizational socialization.